KINGSTON, Ont. (July 27, 2022) – Queen's Women's Volleyball alumna Natalie Crews signed a pro contract with the Deichstadt volleys in Germany, the First Bundesliga team announced on Tuesday.

Crews (Vancouver, B.C.) was a big part of last year's Gaels team that finished second in the OUA East standings in the regular season and advanced to the OUA semifinals. She finished the year with 42 kills and 13 blocks for Queen's.

"Our team is very excited for Natalie and the opportunity she has to play in the top German League," said Queen's Women's Volleyball Head Coach Ryan Ratushniak. "She has been a great leader and teammate at Queen's. She did so many things for us extremely well on and off the court! We are looking forward to watching her play professionally in a great league!"

Crews started her U SPORTS career at Vancouver Island University before joining the Gaels in 2017. She tore her ACL in the first game of her second year at Queen's, missing the rest of the 2018-19 season and the 2019-20 season rehabbing after surgery before 2020-21 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I can't hardly wait to gain experience in the Bundesliga myself," Crews told the Deichstadt volleys official website. "I think that the Deichstadt volleys suit me perfectly, Neuwied is fairly new in the league and I'm about to start my first year as a professional. There's a lot of potential for both sides and I'd really like to help us fulfill that. Of course it is a new experience for me to take on a challenge far away from friends and family, where I can learn a lot and which should help me to advance in top-level volleyball."